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NRI moves to Bengaluru, shocked by colleagues' eating, zero exercise: ‘Running on chai and trauma’
The post, shared, has drawn thousands of views and triggered discussions on workplace culture, health and lifestyle differences.
A social media post by a professional who recently moved from the United Kingdom to Bengaluru has gone viral after he questioned why his Indian teammates don't prioritise fitness. The post, shared, has drawn thousands of views and triggered discussions on workplace culture, health and lifestyle differences.
In his post, the employee wrote that he shifted to Bengaluru a few weeks ago and was surprised to see his entire team “grinding like crazy” at work while surviving on Mysore bondas, vadas and biryani “literally every hour”. He added that his colleagues take “zero steps, zero sunlight and zero water” during the day.
According to him, he began going to the gym before work to stay mentally balanced, but said his co-workers looked at him “like I’m doing a TED talk” whenever he mentioned fitness. He said he wanted to encourage the team to adopt basic health habits. '' I really wanna push my team towards basic health stuff without sounding like that NRI clown,'' he added.
He then asked users whether anyone had successfully motivated a workplace team to adopt healthier habits or if he should “just accept that we’re all running on chai and trauma”.
The post, which includes more than 4,600 impressions and dozens of comments, has triggered mixed reactions. Many users agreed that hectic work schedules often leave little time for exercise, while others said the writer was stereotyping Indian work culture. Some pointed out that long commutes, stressful jobs and lack of infrastructure make fitness routines difficult to maintain.
Social media reactions
''I'm extremely Indian (not an NRI). I'm pretty much into fitness, Weighted calisthenics (you get the point), try to hit my daily protein. And I get mocked by the Indian manager and other colleagues for eating chicken everyday and hitting gym, whom I don't even encourage to exercise. Ya, it's just sad. Lesson learnt: don't push anyone but only your parents to exercise,'' a user said.
''Yeah, dont be that guy.. but you can set a example by looking good and eating healthy in front of them. some of them will take the hint,'' another added.
Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
